Pressure bin

ABSTRACT

A portable pressure bin defined by a tubular tank terminating in upper and lower heads and having an access and a drainage opening respectively. A support structure depends from the tank adjacent the drainage opening and supports the tank in an upright position. A tubular skirt extends upwardly of the tank adjacent the head with the access opening and includes apertures for engaging the bin with hoisting means such as hooks or cables. A ring-shaped stiffener with a U-shaped cross section is secured to the free end of the skirt portion to impart rigidity thereto and prevent its deflection or crushing while the bin is suspended by the hoisting means. Means for closing the apertures in the heads, for limiting the maximum pressure inside the tank, and for determining the quantity of fluid in the tank are further provided.

United States Patent [73] Assignee [72] Inventor [54] PRESSURE BIN 8Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 220/5, 220/69, 220/97, 222/ 143 [51] Int. Cl B65d 7/02,B65d 7/40, 865d 21/02 [50] Field 01' Search 220/9 (A)66, 73, 71 (BB),1.5; 116/118; 151/23; 222/184; 220/5.5 (A), 69, 97, 97 (B); 222/1433,348,722 10/ 1 967 Trevarrow 220/5 2,824,432 2/1958 Varese 220/9(A)UXFOREIGN PATENTS 534,628 9/1939 Great Britain 220/5 1,007,595 10/1965Great Britain..... 220/5 1,146,803 1/1957 Germany 220/97 PrimaryExaminer-George E. Lowrance Attorney-Warren, Rubin, Brucker & ChickeringABSTRACT: A portable pressure bin defined by a tubular tank terminatingin upper and lower heads and having an access and a drainage openingrespectively. A support structure depends from the tank adjacent thedrainage opening and supports the tank in an upright position. A tubularskirt extends upwardly of the tank adjacent the head with the accessopening and includes apertures for engaging the bin with hoisting meanssuch as books or cables. A ring-shaped stiffener with a U-shaped crosssection is secured to the free end of the skirt portion to impartrigidity thereto and prevent its deflection or crushing while the bin issuspended by the hoisting means. Means for closing the apertures in theheads, for limiting the maximum pressure inside the tank, and fordetermining the quantity of fluid in the tank are further provided.

Patented Mmh 16, 1971 3,571,533

M48 v 7 49 INVENTOR.

CLARENCE B. COLEMAN BY W W/,

ATTORNEYS PRESSURE lBllN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates to portable pressure bins for storing and transporting fluentmaterials.

At the present many liquids such as lacquers, paint thinners, fuels,etc., having a vapor pressure above that of atmospheric pressure, arebeing handled, stored, and transported. To prevent the evaporation ofthe liquid the storage containers or bins must be closed and constructedto withstand a pressure differential between the interior and exteriorof the container. The containers further require safety valves toprevent the buildup of excess pressures.

Although prior art pressure vessels are well known and include vesselspermanently mounted on vehicles or permanently installed at a plant siteor the place of usage of the material, transportable pressure bins whichare adapted for storage as well as transportation are relativelycomplicated, expensive, and are not constructed for ease of handling andfor the maximum utilization of available space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a portablepressure bin particularly well suited for holding fluent materialsbuilding up vapor pressures above atmospheric pressure during theirstorage and shipment. Briefly, the bin comprises a preferably uprighttubular tank with upper and lower heads having an access opening and adrainage opening, respectively. Means are provided for closing theapertures and for limiting the maximum pressure inside the tank. Asupport structure depends from the tank and supports the latter on asurface. An upper tubular skirt extends from the tank, terminates in afree end, and has a plurality of first apertures for hoisting the tank.Second apertures proximate the end of the skin adjacent the tank areprovided for draining fluid, such as rain water, accumulating betweenthe tank and the upper skirt. A ring-shaped stiffenerwith a U-shapedcross section is secured to the free end of the upper skirt forimparting rigidity to the free end and preventing its collapse when thetank is hoisted from the first apertures.

vIn the preferred embodiment the support structure also comprises alower tubular skirt and includes hollow support pedestals adapted to beengaged by conventional forklift tongs and resting on the supportsurface. The pedestals are constructed so that a forklift truck can bepositioned on any side of the pressure bin for lifting the bin aboveground and transporting it from place to place.

This storage bin is relatively lightweight, can be constructed ofaluminum to increase its corrosion resistance and reduce its weight, iscompact and can be stacked to fully utilize available storage orshipping space, and permits the handling of the bin by eitherconventional forklifts or hoisting slings or hooks. The stability ofstacked pressure bins is significantly enhanced by an interlockingengagement between the upper skirt of the lower pressure bin andpedestals of the upper bin. It is inexpensive to construct and requiresvirtually no maintenance to minimize its operating expense. it can beused for storage as well as for shipping vapor pressure building liquidsthereby eliminating time-consuming and expensive transfers of theliquids between storage and shipping tanks.

BRlEF DESCRIPTlON OF THE DRAWINGS FlG. l is a plan view of a pressurebin constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the pressure bin; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along'line3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 2, a pressurebin 6 is formed by a tank 8, a support structure ill) resting on ground12 and depending from a lower end M of the tank, and by a cylindricalskirt 16 extending upwardly of an upper end lb of the tank. The tank isconstructed of a cylindrical center section 20 to which an upper head 22and a lower head 24 are joined in a conventional manner, as by welding,to respectively define the upper and the lower ends of the tank. Thesupport structure maintains the cylindrically shaped tank in an uprightposition so that the axis of the tank is vertical to permit drainage offluid materials stored in the tank through a drainage opening 26 in thelower head. The upper head of the tank includes an access opening 28,preferably in the form of a manhole if the tank is relatively large, andis provided with a sealing closure 30.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention the support structurecomprises a cylindrical lower skirt 32 extending downwardly from thecenter section 20 and terminating in a free end 34 which is reinforcedwith a lower, ring-shaped stiffener 3b demountably secured to the innerside of the skirt by bolts 38. The lower skirt includes a first aperture4ft through which a drainage tube (not shown) can be inserted to connectit with the flange of drainage opening 26. A hand hole 42 in the skirtadjacent the first aperture provides access to the drainage opening formanipulating a valve (not shown) or for securing the drainage pipe tothe drainage flange.

A pair of downwardly opening channels M are welded to stiffener 36 andelongate plates 46 are secured to the legs of the channels to form a boxmember having a length about equal to or greater than the diameter ofthe tubular tank 8 (see FIG. 1). Hollow pedestals 48 rest on the ground,are secured to the channel and the plate adjacent outer ends thereof,and space the bin above ground to prevent damage to it and to provideconvenient access to the drainage opening. The box members defined bychannels 44 and plates 46 have a configuration and are arranged to allowtheir engagement by conventional fork lift tongs (not shown). Stiffener36 is constructed of steel, to enable it to be welded to channels 44 byconventional welding methods, and preferably has a U-shaped crosssection, i.e. is formed from ordinary rolled steel channels, tofacilitate its manufacture and to give it sufficient strength towithstand the rough handling to which the lower end of the bin isordinarily subjected. Alternatively, the stiffener can, of course, haveother cross section providing it with sufficient strength. Stiffener 36maintains channels M and plates 46 spread apart even if they aresubjected to substantial loads from two or more pressure bins 6 stackedon top of each other. Should the stitfeners or the channels 44 becomedamaged, they can be quickly and economically replaced as a unit withoutrequiring extensive repairs on the pressure bin as such.

The pedestals 4-8 are positioned so that their corners t9 proximate theaxis of tank 8 are spaced from the axis a distance slightly greater thanthe radius of upper skirt 16. When two or more pressure bins 6 arestacked on top of each other, the pedestals of the upper bin are snuglyengage the upper end of skirt I16, thereby providing an automaticinterlock between the two bins. This interlock stabilizes the two binswhich is particularly advantageous during their transportation when theyare subjected to vibration and shock which could otherwise cause theupper bin to slip off the lower one.

Upper skirt M is formed similarly to the lower skirt, is welded to thetank adjacent the upper end of center section 20 and includes a pair ofdiametrically opposed pickup eyes or holes 5'0 adjacent a free end 52 ofthe upper skirt for receiving hoisting means (not shown) such ashoisting cables or hooks. To prevent the large weight of a filledpressure bin, which may weight up to six thousand pounds, from crushingthe upper skirt when the bin is lifted from pickup holes 50, an upper,ring-shaped stiffener 54 is secured to the inner side of the free end ofthe upper skirt, preferably by bolts 56 and acts as a spreader barmaintaining the circular shape of skirt 16. The upper stiffener impartsrigidity to the skirt and spreads the horizontal components force fromthe lifted weight over the circumference of the skirt to prevent thelatter from being deformed beyond its elastic limits. Preferably,stiffener 54 also has a U-shaped cross section to facilitate itsmanufacture and to increase its strength perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the bin. Alternative configurations of the crosssection of stiffener 54 providing it with sufficient strength can, ofcourse be selected. Since the upper stiffener is subjected to thegreatest forces when the bin is hoisted from holes 50, it is preferablyalso constructed of high strength steel to prevent the upper skirt andstiffener from being deformed.

The upper skirt is provided with one or more drainage apertures 58positioned closely adjacent the lower end of the skirt permitting fluid,particularly water, accumulating in the space between the upper skirtand upper head 22 to escape to prevent corrosion damage to tank 8.

Referring to FIG. 1, it is sometimes necessary to agitate, mix, aerate,etc. the fluid in tank 8, as for mixing different kinds of paints or formixing paints with paint thinners, for example, before access opening 28in the upper head of the tank is closed and sealed. For this a supportbar 60 is provided to which an agitator, mixer, aerator, etc. (notshown) is clamped adjacent access opening 28. Alternatively, mountingholes 62 can be provided for securing the agitator, mixer, etc. to thebar with threaded bolts (not shown) if the agitator, mixer, etc. doesnot have mounting clamps. A plurality of mounting holes 64 (shown inFIG. 2) are disposed in the horizontal leg of upper stiffener 54 toreceive threaded bolts 66 securing the support bar to the pressure bin.The mounting holes in the stiffener are arranged so that the support barstraddles access opening 28, as shown in FIG. 1, to facilitate theinsertion of the agitator into tank 8 through the access opening.

Alternatively, to reduce a weakening of stiffener 54 from mounting holes64 in a direction transverse to the tank axis, each end of support bar60 may be provided with downwardly extending brackets 68 which includeapertures (not shown) matching with horizontally disposed bolt holes 70in skirt 16 and the web of U-shaped stiffener 54. Threaded bolts 72 thendemountably secure the support bar to the upper skirt of the pressurebin and the stiffener. It is important, however, that support bar 60 besecured directly to stiffener 54 to not weaken skirt l6 and to assure avibration free mounting of the agitator, mixer, etc.

The above-described configuration of the pressure bin permits itsconstruction of lightweight, corrosion-resistant aluminum whichfacilitates the handling of the bin and reduces transportation costs dueto the lower weight as compared to more conventional steelconstructions, for example. The use of the ring-shaped reinforcingstiffeners at the free ends of the upper and lower skirts prevent thecrushing ofthe skirts under high loads and forces even if tank 3 andskirts l6 and 32 are constructed of relatively low strength andlightweight aluminum. The placement of the stiffeners on the interior ofthe skirts provides the pressure bin with an unobstructed cylindricalexterior. The absence of bulky and expensive pickup hooks or members(not shown) usually found on prior art containers and their replacementby the simple pickup holes 50 in the upper skirt 16 reduces themanufacturing costs, provides a bin with a more appealing theappearance, and further avoids obstructions on the exterior of the bin.As a result of the unobstructed exterior of the bins they can be handledand transported without the danger of entanglement with surroundingobjects which may cause damage to the bin and/or such objects.

Turning now to the use of pressure bin 6, closure 30 is opened and thetank is filled to the desired level through access opening 28. Since itis often desired to accurately gauge the volume or quantity of liquidwith which the tank is filled, and since that is frequently constant,this invention also provides means 74 for adjustably gauging a fixedquantity of liquid in the tank. The means comprise an elongated threadedcylindrical bar 76 which is secured to the inside of upper head 22adjacent access opening and which includes a groove 78 on its peripheryrunning parallel to the axis of the bar from the free end thereof oversubstantially the full length of the bar. A nut member 80 includes agauging disc 82, threadably engages bar 76, and is provided with aradial aperture 84 through which a string or wire 86 can be drawn whenthe radial aperture S4 is aligned with groove 78. By sealing the ends ofthe wire or string nut member and gauging disc 82 are maintained in thesame position. Thus, a measured quantity of liquid can be introducedinto the tank and nut member 80 is adjusted so that gauging disc 82 isat the upper liquid level. In that position a sealed string or wire isthreaded through radial hole 84 and groove 78 and its ends are sealed tolock the nut member in place and simultaneously provide a visual checkon the positioning of the gauging disc. To enable a more accuratepositioning of the gauging disc with respect to any quantity of fluid tobe gauged the nut member may be provided with a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced radial apertures.

An agitator (not shown) may be placed on support bar 60 and insertedthrough access opening 28 if mixing of the fluid in the tank is desired.Otherwise, access opening 28 is closed and sealed after the tank hasbeen filled to the desired level and the pressure bin, together with theliquid, is ready for storage or shipment.

Since atmospheric temperature variations cause variations in thepressure head built up by the liquid in the tank, and to prevent anydamage to the tank from excess pressures, a safety valve 88 is securedto upper head 22 of tank 8, or to closure 30 (not shown), so that itdoes not protrude beyond free end 52 of upper skirt 16. Alternatively,closure 30 may be constructed so that it permits the escape ofaccumulated gas in the interior of the tank once the gas pressureexceeds a predeter mined maximum. For normal requirements the volumetriccapacity of safety valve 88 can be relatively small. For emergencies, ahigh capacity safety valve 90 may be secured to upper head 22 of thetank as to a conventional flanged conduit 92 which may double for use infilling the tank by securing thereto the flanged end of a fill pipe (notshown). Alternatively, valve 90 can be mounted to closure 30 (notshown). Absolute safety of the pressure bin is thereby assured duringall stages of its storage or transport, irrespective of the surroundingatmospheric pressure or its exposure to excess heat from whateversource.

It will be noted that shirt 16 is constructed so that safety valves 88and 90 and closure 30 are below free end 52 of the skirt. This not onlyprotects the valves from being accidentally severed through roughhandling, for example, during shipment and which could endanger thesafety of the bin, but it also permits the stacking of bins one on topof the other for the maximum utilization of available storage orshipping space.

Alterations and modifications in the construction of the bin can, ofcourse, be made without departing from the scope of this invention. Forexample, the support structure can be constructed without a cylindricalskirt portion; additional pickup holes 50 may be provided to moreequally distribute forces from the hoisting means over the circumferenceof the upper skirt; the configuration of the stiffness, particularly theone adjacent the free end of the upper skirt can be altered forparticularly heavy loads, etc.

I claim:

1. A bin for holding evaporating fluids during storage and shipmentcomprising:

a. a tank section having a generally cylindrical cross section, saidsection fabricated of sheet material having relatively low thickness andweight;

b. upper and lower head closures sealably secured to each end of saidtank section, said closures fabricated of a relatively low strengthsheet material and shaped to overlay the ends of said tank section, saidlower head closure being provided with a drain opening and closureassembly and said upper closure having an access opening and closureassembly;

c. first and second skirt portions affixed to said head closures to forman extension therefrom circumjacent, respectively, to said upper andlower head closures, said second skirt portion formed to extendlongitudinally away from said lower head. closure forming a supportsurface for transmitting forces imposed therethrough during usage ofsaid bin in a generally uniform distribution of shear stresses betweensaid lower skirt portion and said bin, and further said second skirtportion shielding the drain opening and closure assembly affixed to saidlower head portion; at least two hollow support members secured to thesupport surface of said second skirt portion, said support membersoriented transverse to said tank section and second skirt portion toprovide a ground engagement surface when said tank is in the uprightposition and to engage said first skirt portion when one bin is stackedvertically upon another; and

e. means forming a plurality of openings in said first skirt portion,said openings designed to engage tank-hoisting means for lifting andsuspending said bin, said first skirt portion fomied to extendlongitudinally away from said upper head closure so as to provide a leadtransmitting member for causing the forces imposed therethrough bylifting and suspending of said bin by said last means to be transmittedas generally uniformly distributed shear stresses between said firstskirt portion and said tank section.

2. A bin in accordance with claim 1 and stiffening means of relativelyhigh strength secured circumjacent to the free end of said first andsecond skirt portions to reinforce said portions, respectively, againstdeformation caused by said tank hoisting means when the tank issuspended therefrom, and against deformation caused by ground engagementof said support members.

to claim 1 including means conportion for mounting an agitator ad- 3.Apparatus according nected with said first skirt jacent the accessopening.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said stiffeners have aU-shaped cross section and are bolted respectively to each of theinterior sides of said skirt portions.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including mounting holes in said firstskirt portion for demountably securing an agitator support to theportion adjacent the access opening.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support member includespedestals supporting the bin, a portion of the pedestals closest to anaxis of the tankbeing spaced from the axis a distance slightly greaterthan the radius of the skirt portion, whereby two or more bins stackedon top of each other are prevented from moving relative to each other ina direction transverse to the axis of the tank by the interengagementbetween the pedestals of the upper bin and the skirt portion of thelower bin. I

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 including holes in a por tion ofthestiffener which is transverse to said first skirt for mounting anagitator support member adjacent the access opening.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the tank and skirts areconstructed of aluminum and the stiffener is constructed of steel.

1. A bin for holding evaporating fluids during storage and shipmentcomprising: a. a tank section having a generally cylindrical crosssection, said section fabricated of sheet material having relatively lowthickness and weight; b. upper and lower head closures sealably securedto each end of said tank section, said closures fabricated of arelatively low strength sheet material and shaped to overlay the ends ofsaid tank section, said lower head closure being provided with a drainopening and closure assembly and said upper closure having an accessopening and closure assembly; c. first and second skirt portions affixedto said head closures to form an extension therefrom circumjacent,respectively, to said upper and lower head closures, said second skirtportion formed to extend longitudinally away from said lower headclosure forming a support surface for transmitting forces imposedtherethrough during usage of said bin in a generally uniformdistribution of shear stresses between said lower skirt portion and saidbin, and further said second skirt portion shielding the drain openingand closure assembly affixed to said lower head portion; d. at least twohollow support members secured to the support surface of said secondskirt portion, said support members oriented transverse to said tanksection and second skirt portion to provide a ground engagement surfacewhen said tank is in the upright position and to engage said first skirtportion when one bin is stacked vertically upon another; and e. meansforming a plurality of openings in said first skirt portion, saidopenings designed to engage tank-hoisting means for lifting andsuspending said bin, said first skirt portion formed to extendlongitudinally away from said upper head closure so as to provide a leadtransmitting member for causing the forces imposed therethrough bylifting and suspending of said bin by said last means to be transmittedas generally uniformly distributed shear stresses between said firstskirt portion and said tank section.
 2. A bin in accordance with claim 1and stiffening means of relatively high strength secured circumjacent tothe free end of said first and second skirt portions to reinforce saidportions, respectively, against deformation caused by said tank-hoistingmeans when the tank is suspended therefrom, and against deformationcaused by ground engagement of said support members.
 3. Apparatusaccording to claim 1 including means connected with said first skirtportion for mounting an agitator adjacent the access opening. 4.Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said stiffeners have a U-shapedcross section and are bolted respectively to each of tHe interior sidesof said skirt portions.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 includingmounting holes in said first skirt portion for demountably securing anagitator support to the portion adjacent the access opening. 6.Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support member includespedestals supporting the bin, a portion of the pedestals closest to anaxis of the tank being spaced from the axis a distance slightly greaterthan the radius of the skirt portion, whereby two or more bins stackedon top of each other are prevented from moving relative to each other ina direction transverse to the axis of the tank by the interengagementbetween the pedestals of the upper bin and the skirt portion of thelower bin.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 1 including holes in aportion of the stiffener which is transverse to said first skirt formounting an agitator support member adjacent the access opening. 8.Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the tank and skirts areconstructed of aluminum and the stiffener is constructed of steel.